They say true athletes are made in the offseason. When it comes to Mizzou volleyball, this seems to be accurate.
The Tigers continued their undefeated streak after coming out on top in the Appalachian State Invitational in North Carolina this past weekend, claiming their third-straight tournament championship.
Hard work over the summer and a handful of new players are helping the team start off the season with a bang.
“I think we just always have the mindset to get better,” sophomore and right side hitter Kira Larson said. “We worked really hard all summer and all pre-season, and we try to take each game seriously. It’s easy to underestimate opponents, teams that aren’t really that well-known or stuff like that. We just go out there and play our game. I think that’s a big contributing factor (to our success).”
Some might think the combination of new and old players could cause problems, making it hard for the team to mesh together. That is not the case with this group.
“We all get along so well. When we’re off at tournaments we all hang out and we’re all genuinely friends,” senior and outside hitter Regan Peltier said. “We’re not very cliquey. I know a lot of teams sometimes get cliquey and you only hangout with your class or whatever, but all of us are so intertwined and we hangout. We have really, really good chemistry.”
Having six new players, including three transfers and three freshmen join the team gives the Tigers not only a chance to come back from last year’s not-so-Cinderella season but also plenty of new options to help them get there.
Three new offensive players joined Mizzou, including sophomore Kira Larson who currently has a .383 hitting percentage and Alyssa Munlyn with a .328. Junior and transfer student Alexa Ethridge, playing as libero, has contributed over 100 digs already.
“We’re kind of a new team than we were last year. We lost a few of our big counterparts and we gained some new ones and I think that each of us coming from the different situations that we did last year, we just wanted to make this one (season) so much better,” Peltier said.
The team worked hard to establish a strong work ethic and bounce back when times get tough, which has “really helped us push and have a great start to the season,” according to Peltier.
The Tigers will travel to Indianapolis this weekend for the Butler Invitational in hopes of winning another tournament championship and remaining undefeated
“I think everything was different right from the get-go,” coach Wayne Kreklow said. “I think all the new people have really been really good additions in their own way.”
